The recreation of outdoor, in-line skating is fast becoming a new national pastime. In-line skating is a form of roller skating wherein the wheels of each skate are placed within a single plane. Such skates have been on the market for only a few years. During that time period, sales of in-line skates have experienced phenomenal growth. Continued and increased sales growth of such skates is undoubted.
The in-line skating recreation is not without difficulties. For example, once in-line skaters have removed their regular street shoes and donned their skates, they often do not have a safe place to store their street shoes.
During the course of skating, the skater may need to enter a store, snack bar, restroom, stairwell, or other structure. The skater may try to skate into such places. Since in-line skates do not have means to secure the wheels against rotation, it is often very dangerous to skate within such places. The skater may inadvertently slip, roll, or be unable to stop. A particular danger exists when a skater attempts to ascend or descend stairs.
Due to the aforementioned dangers and the associated exposure to liability, many establishments simply disallow use of skates within their buildings and stores. Consequently, the skaters must go through the time-consuming and cumbersome task of removing their skates.
If the skaters have not brought their regular street shoes on the present excursion, the skaters are left barefooted with their skates in hand. These actions expose the skaters to similar dangers as mentioned above, but now only barefooted. Again, many businesses simply disallow the entrance of barefooted persons into their establishments or onto their property.
It is a common desire with those who in-line skate to wear as little clothing as possible. To do so allows the skaters to remain cool and to rid themselves of bulky, heavy baggage. There still remains a need, however, to wear a backpack or fanny pack to carry and store such items as extra clothing, a wallet, purse, keys, extra socks, t-shirt, first aid kit, etc. Use of a traditional backpack or fanny pack, however, interferes with the desire of the skater to have free, unrestricted movement, and to cool and tan oneself.
In-line skaters also often discover that they are prevented from skating back to their initial starting location. Fatigue, exhaustion, blisters, a skating accident, difficult incline, and/or other reasons may all adversely impact the ability of the in-line skaters to return to their initial starting location.
When one of these unfortunate events occurs, the last thing skaters wish to do is to walk back to their starting location barefoot and tender on a hot asphalt or cement skating path.
In summary, in-line skaters are faced with the problems of storing street shoes, entering establishments wearing skates or going barefoot, carrying a backpack or fanny pack, and walking back to their starting location barefooted.
Persons who ice skate face many of the same problems as those who participate in the in-line skating sport.
The present invention overcomes the foregoing annoying and often dangerous problems encountered by persons who enjoy in-line roller skating, conventional roller skating, and/or ice skating sports.